


Pulse

by valkyrish



Series: No Time for Romance [2]
Category: Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: Comfort, F/M, Romance, Sleepy Cuddles, Worry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-07
Updated: 2015-02-07
Packaged: 2018-03-10 23:36:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3307367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/valkyrish/pseuds/valkyrish
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Losing Kanan shattered the balance on the Ghost, and getting him back did not instantly restore it. Hera and Kanan manage to find a moment of peace in between.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Pulse

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place sometime after Call to Action, written before Fire Across the Galaxy. It's slightly AU because it takes place some time after my story A Meditation on Strength.

The Ghost was back in open space, but nothing was back to normal yet. For the moment, there was no cannon fire to dodge, no starfighters to evade, but the calm between storms was still sinking in. The scales were tipped, throwing off the raucous harmony that had settled so well within the walls of the ship.

So Kanan and Hera had been quiet, too. It was more than just a courtesy to keep the rest of the crew unaware. The tension between the pair in the days following Kanan’s rescue was barely contained, and once they had the chance to release it, each was too focused on the other for more than whispered confessions.

Now, all Hera could hear was Kanan’s soft breathing, steadying as he drew closer to sleep. His pulse thrummed against her jaw and she counted the beats, timing them against a faulty clock in her mind. Subconscious relief washed over her each time the next heartbeat came. Just one more and she could relax. She would only listen a little while longer.

Physically, he was fine, and he seemed all right mentally, but time would tell. It was out of her control, but what she could do was stay.

Gentle twitches in his limbs brought a smile to Hera’s face. Resisting the urge to stroke his cheek with the back of her hand, she waited, counting heartbeats.

When he took in a raspy sigh, she closed her eyes in subdued triumph; her efforts to tire him had finally bore fruit—well, additional fruit—and he slept beneath her.

They had been in similar positions before; four times, Hera realized, but not once since their crew had grown. This time, everything was different. She had never come this close to losing him before. Time apart had chased all the doubts from her mind, and all that was left was the truth.

Four times, she said she couldn’t stay with him, no matter how much she wanted to. How many times had she told him (and herself) there was no time for romance? And yet none of that brought her comfort when she faced the very contingency she feared. Now, she understood that what she could not afford was regret.

Knowing she had not fully indulged her feelings for Kanan did not settle the terror in her stomach as the crew combed their channels for leads. It did not stop her thoughts from wandering down dark hypotheticals as she took down anyone and anything that stood between them.

It wasn’t until they had him, safe and free, that she could breathe easy again. Only then could she consider all the things she needed to tell him, and the things she wanted to hear. The rebellion was still her first priority, but as long as Kanan was alive, he was non-negotiable.

And as his chest rose and fell beneath her, his skin warming hers like sunlight, she had no regrets. An idle melody floated over the persistent rhythm of his heart, accompanied by incoherent flashes of lush green and rusty brown.

There was no time for proper dates or marriage, but there was time to hold him as he slept. This time, and every time hereafter, she would be there when he woke.


End file.
